DODGE & PLYMOUTH: UNSUNG MUSCLECAR HEROES

Posted on February 28, 2025 by MartynL

While Pontiac unquestionably first exploited the youth market with a targeted high-performance car—the GTO—starting in 1964, credit must also be given to DODGE & PLYMOUTH: UNSUNG MUSCLECAR HEROES for its efforts starting in 1957! Not long after Ford pulled out of the 1957 AMA “agreement”, Chrysler followed suit. But Chrysler did not have Chevrolet and Ford’s racing heritage, nor their budgets and “supported” brand-name racers. They also didn’t have the right image cars to compete wi...

CHEVY 409: BIG-BLOCK LEGEND

Posted on October 23, 2022October 23, 2022 by MartynL

It may have started out as an updated 348-inch truck engine, but it ended up as the CHEVY 409: BIG-BLOCK LEGEND! Two years before the Supercar hype and big-engined midsize cars, full-size ’62 Chevys, powered by 409-inch versions of the 348 W-Series passenger car and truck engine, carried the Musclecar banner for Chevrolet. While the engine first surfaced in the 1961model year, it was a late arrival. Just 142 Chevys with RPO-580 360-horsepower, single-four-barrel (Carter AFB) and solid-lifter-ca...

427 CAMARO: THE THOMAS /NICKEY AFFAIR!

Posted on July 30, 2018July 30, 2018 by MartynL

Within months after Chevrolet’s September 1966 introduction of its all-new ’67 Camaro, Nickey and Nickey/Thomas SS427 Camaros were on the road. Bill Thomas Race Cars, Anaheim, CA built 427 Camaros for California customers, while Nickey Chevrolet, Chicago, IL covered the rest of the country. Built on a Bolero Red SS350 donor, I drove Bill Thomas’ first SS427 Camaro around Orange County in early 1967. It retained its original 350 emblems and 1966 Illinois dealer tags. My reason for visiting Bi...